A Totally Rad Roundup of 80s Flicks in Honor of Vice City

Looking back on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the occasion of its recent mobile release is a pretty powerful double-hit of nostalgia for us. Not only are we here at Rockstar taken back to that wild year of 2002 when we labored to take the groundbreaking 3D GTA experience pioneered in the previous fall's Grand Theft Auto III into a direction that no one at the time expected - but it's also a time to revisit the fascination with 1980s pop culture that inspired Vice City in the first place. From coked-out debutantes, suave and in-control hit men, hot-blooded drug kingpins, egomaniacal movie directors... the larger than life attitudes of that "me" decade as served up in the films of the era served as perfect inspiration for the stories, characters and scenery that drove the world and vibe of Vice City...

Scarface (1983)

But of course. Largely dismissed at the time as an overblown, needlessly and gratuitously violent and profane remake of Howard Hawks' 1932 gangster classic - it has now, of course, transcended all of that and become one of the biggest and most enduring cult hits of all time - defining what a modern crime epic should be. An absolute top favorite of ours, we started paying homage to the film's legacy in GTAIII with Flashback 95.6's Scarface soundtrack heavy playlist and the casting of Robert Loggia as the sciatica-plagued Ray Machowski - but it goes without saying that Vice City owes much of its inspiration to the vivid characters, style, scenery and music of De Palma and Pacino's 1980s Miami gangster masterpiece.

Less Than Zero (1987)

Hands down the darkest movie of the 'brat pack' genre, this Robert Downey Jr. and Andrew McCarthy-starring movie is a stylish adaptation of the disturbing Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho) novel. A morality tale of excess following rich Beverly Hills yuppie kids caught up with living life in the coke-fueled fast lane of the 1980s social scene. Incredible style, music and oddly prophetic to the drug troubles that would plague Downey himself in the years to come.

The Long Good Friday (1980)

The Long Good Friday was released at the dawn of the decade - a great crime drama that is now listed as one of the top 100 British films of the 20th century by the British Film Institute. An intense Bob Hoskins portrays a local British kingpin trying to close a landmark deal, working the angles between American mafia investors, crooked politicians, and his own questionably loyal ranks - whilst thwarted by an unknown enemy. Also starring a young, blonde Helen Mirren as Hoskins' moll.

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

Directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist), this is an awesome crime film from the era with Los Angeles based agents after a notorious counterfeiter and thief - played by Willem Defoe as your archetypical 1980s villain sociopath. Side note - the film's soundtrack was composed entirely by 80s wunderkinds (and Flash FM favorites) Wang Chung.

Manhunter (1986)

Michael Mann is almost singlehandedly responsible for defining what 1980s action ‘looked’ like thanks to his work as Executive Producer of Miami Vice, and for his direction of Manhunter - the first film adaptation of Thomas Harris’ series of books about serial killer Hannibal Lecter. Drenched in 80s style, this one takes neo-noir into neon-noir with suspense set to synths.

First Blood (1982)

A more taut and psychological thriller than the cavalcade of action films from the 1980s about lone good-guy American soldiers prevailing against seemingly endless parades of gun-toting baddies with poor aim, Stallone's 1982 turn as a distressed Vietnam War veteran turned one-man-army undoubtedly inspired the decade's later work of Arnold Schwarzenegger, modern folk hero Chuck Norris, Michael Dudikoff - and of course the legendary Jack Howitzer of Evacuator and Exploder fame.

1980s Hollywood seemed to have one basic approach to sequels - take a somewhat understated, successful suspense film and blow the doors off it with a follow-up that ups the ante to all-out-balls-to-the-wall action. Both of these however turned out to be awesomely amplified blockbusters that did good justice to their progenitors. A hammy, young Bill Paxton playing his brash space marine character in Aliens almost exactly as his Chet from Weird Science - is a particular 80s treat.

Sudden Impact (1983)

We've previously featured Eastwood's Dirty Harry in our Rockstar Recommends chronology of favorite shootout sequences which highlighted "The Enforcer" as a standout - but this is the key 1980s installment in the long-running Dirty Harry franchise. Sudden Impact is most notable of all as being the movie that introduced the mega catchphrase and meme "Go ahead, make my day". In the years that followed, countless movies and sitcoms were able to mine parody gold out of that single line.

Top Gun (1986)

Not necessarily ‘totally violent’ unless you were particularly jarred by (spoiler alert) the death of Goose – but certainly totally rad. Jerry Bruckheimer and the late Don Simpson and Tony Scott at the height of their powers. THE blockbuster action epic of summer ’86...

Body Double (1984)

Somewhere in between Brian DePalma’s flashes of brilliance that were Scarface (1983) and The Untouchables (1987) came this very underrated Hitchcock homage/rip-off (depending on your opinion) that took the DNA of Vertigo and Rear Window into a totally 80s Los-Angeles-set suspense thriller complete with an awesome extended Frankie Goes to Hollywood music video / porn sequence, starring a young Melanie Griffith as Holly Body.

Vice City probably wouldn’t have had Jack Howitzer’s Push Up: The Movie – the story of a washed up ex- push up champion who trains to defeat a Russian nemesis in an international push-up contest held in “Tokyo, China” – if it weren’t for this special pair of mid-80s Stallone ‘classics’. In Rocky IV, Sly's Balboa fights a machine but in Over the Top, his Lincoln Hawk becomes one (well, once he turns his ball cap backwards). "You can't win!"

How dare you put classic in quotations? As if Rocky 4 isn't a classic, which it damned well is. In fact, it's quite possibly the quintessential 80s movie. So you take that back, Rockstar. You take it back right now! The Eye of the Tiger commands it.

I remember watching Scarface for the first time and thinking, "No way! That's the same mansion from Vice City" and right after I watched it I went and played Vice City and went to the Mansion. I have the best memories with Vice City. Such a great game.

@MCRakim Yo, MCRakim! :-) I actually did not know there was an Eric B rapper! My R* Social Club name is just something I thought up quickly based on my real name. I've heard about the MC Rakim before though. Nice to meet you ;-D

Casino is a must as well as everyone's modern favorite GoodFellas, outside of the 80s, but in line with the suggestions. I did feel Scarface got the most influence in the game overall. Miami Vice of course, following that. GTA IV and V will be moving away from direct influence as Dan Houser voiced recently. Rockstar, if you DO read my comment, I wonder your thoughts on the ongoing GUN shooting fallout in America right now?? Another school shooting took place the other day in fact!! It's hard to even fathom but right up GTA satire alley. News here (CNN) report that the video game industry will be Under The Gun on Friday with some sort of report which I'm not clear on, hope there's a sound off here perhaps on how the fallout effects gaming, ratings, M title access, etc.

Damn, if only my VOD provider had half of those in their video library... Apart from listed I've got to see Risky Business... I think TCM broadcasted it several times, but I never had real opportunity to see it...

As for Scarface it is amazing, I remember watching it for the first time... I was 16 or so, and it started around 11:30 p.m. - it was hard not to fall asleep (with commercials it lasted over 3.5 hours), but I was very pleased with the movie. Since then gangser films is my favourite, by far, genere.

Other films worth watching: A Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Casino (1995), Boogie Nights (1997). I know they were not filmed in 80's (and are not exactly set in the timeline), nonetheless they're still must-see classics. As for 80's - Once Upon a Time in America (that one is tough - almost 4 hours, still excellent) and The Untouchables. A hell lot better than that commercial crap we're being fed with at present... Well, there's still hope that Martin Scorcese and Brian DePalma get to work over the next bloody and violent, but also influential masterpieces.

@Dziadek.WP I was talking about Risky Business. Also Scarface was great, I was 14 when I watched it. My mind was blow,, I watched it so many times, gotta love Al Pacino's epic Cuban accent, even though he's Italian. The good ol' times.

On another note, I've never seen Manhunter so I guess I'll watch it with my fiancé (yes I'm finally engaged!) tonight. Scarface is indeed an all-time classic! Which is crazy to think considering it really didn't do good at the Box Offices back in 83' but now today it's probably right up there with some of the best films of all-time! Did you also know that some of the scenes in Scarface weren't always filmed in Miami? They shot various scenes in good old Hollywood/LA back in the day.

Really wish there is another update in the works for the Vice City Mobile release version. Example of a few errors I've encountered thus far on my iPhone4... When you do a Rampage is doesn't register kills it just stays at the amount you need but the timer is running as it should, we npreally need an 'aim sensitivity' option for the missions that require an Assault Rifle like in the mission "Phenom Penh 86", and finally there is always a very annoying high pitch sound on certain points of the game that sometimes sounds like either 'chipmunks voices' or 'grown men making love' (moans) which is very weird. I'm not demanding anything but I feel that another update is needed is all I'm trying to say. Cheers!

@VinewoodTits Not sure what the status is on any updates, you should hit up Support to see if they expect any

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